Truly must hind have passed in the taking of the dwelling. No sooner did we clear an area of defending males and begin to move forward into other areas, than additional males appeared before us, as eager to test our blades as those left lifeless behind us. No scrap of blue silk hanging upon the walls was left unspattered by blood, no shred of floor cloth beneath our feet retained its once-pure color. On and on we fought, through corridors and within chambers large and small, about platforms of wood and bright metal, beside carven figures of males, before the eyes of fear-filled slaves. At last fewer males appeared before us, then fewer still, and then so few we were able to take captives rather than slay them out of hand. This last set the High Seat again to frothing, for much had he hoped to be freed by his males, and such had they truly attempted to accomplish. It was not until all battle was done and the dwelling was ours that I learned that by far the greatest number of males had stood before my set, their desperation prompting them to attempt the freeing of the High Seat in order to rally those males whose courage flagged at thought of facing Midanna warriors. That their leader had been captured was a heavy blow to their confidence, one they were unable to overcome.
With no further males attempting to engage us, we were able to advance more quickly through the corridors. Not long after we had taken captives of our own, we came upon a chamber guarded by Hunda and Homma warriors, a large number of males bound tight with leather within the chamber. To that number did we add the captives we had taken, my warriors making no attempt to mark them for future recognition. The abilities of a male to give pleasure cannot be known from the manner in which he holds a sword, nor even from how well made he appears. There would be adequate opportunity to choose among the best of the males when once all battle was done.
We then continued our advance, yet not without purpose. Mida and Sigurr had demanded that the city be taken, yet was it necessary to bear in mind that the freeing of captured Sigurri was also demanded of me. The Sigurri males had been declared slave therefore were they likely to be found in that place where my Hosta warriors and I had been held, a large chamber containing metal enclosures, chains and whips, and males of leather and metal who took great pleasure in the indignities they served up to captives. Should the Sigurri not be found within the confines of the chamber, the pleasure received from questioning those selfsame males of leather and metal would then be mine.
The vastness of the dwelling at last forced me to the need for questioning the High Seat upon the whereabouts of the chamber I sought. A silence had fallen upon the dwelling, one lacking the sounds of battle no matter the number of lifeless forms we passed, one enhancing the sound of the labored breathing of the obese male we kept to our pace. The male found great difficulty in moving himself about at any pace above that of one aged or infirm, yet had the presence of chains upon him given him little choice in the matter. I paused before a large rendering of a forest glade which hung upon a wall of pink stone, unsure as to whether the rendering seemed familiar, and then turned to the male.
“I seek the chamber in which slaves are kept,” said I, looking down upon the panting male where he stood among my warriors. “As this dwelling is reportedly yours, you shall inform us of the proper direction.”
“Shall I indeed,” wheezed the male, looking upon me with a great deal of his former arrogance returned. His covering hung sweat-soaked and blood-smeared upon him, his limbs trembled with fatigue, his skin retained much of the pallor brought about by having been in the midst of many scenes of battle, and yet the light eyes of him regarded me as though I were the one enchained.
“You feel you need not do so?” said I, curious as to what had wrought the change in him. “Do you forget your position among us?”
“On the contrary, I have only recently begun to understand my position among you,” said he, straightening in his chains. “It is now clear that I have considerable value to you savages, a value I need not comprehend to utilize. Had it been your desire to slay me, the deed would already have been done; I need not fear reprisal of such a sort for refusing to aid you.”
The smirk he sent was gratingly offensive, just as it was meant to be. The male had sought for safety in his predicament and believed he had discovered it, and yet his understanding was not as deep as true wisdom would have made it.
“You are correct in your belief that I do not wish you slain,” said I with a nod to the two warriors nearest the male. They immediately stood the closer to him, removing his smirk and replacing it with a frown. “I, however, am able to command obedience from those about me with less than the promise of death. Extend his hand to me.”
The male fought my warriors as best he might, yet was the effort useless. For too many kalod had he done no more than gesture slaves to him with his own strength, an activity ill-suited to the enhancement of such strength. Against his struggles was his soft, delicate hand extended to me, and then was my dagger in my fist and advancing toward him.
“A male may live a considerable time with a finger removed,” said I, touching him gently with the cold, sharp edge of the blade. “How many fingers will I find it necessary to remove, I wonder, before you speak the words I have commanded?”
“You would not maim me so!” he whispered, his fear and trembling having returned in greater measure, his light eyes widened nearly to bursting. “You are females, and no females may be so savagely brutal!”
“We are warriors of the Midanna,” said I, allowing the edge of my blade to part his flesh enough for blood to flow. “Your well-being means naught to me, male, the use I have for you the sole reason for your continued existence. Such use may be had even should you be fingerless, and once fled, my forbearance will not return.”
“I will obey!” he whispered, his frantic gaze seeing clearly that I spoke the truth. “Do not harm me further, I will obey you!”
“Obey, then,” said I, making no attempt to remove the dagger.
“You must take the first turning to the right,” the male babbled, his gaze now firmly locked to the blade at his flesh. “Pass three crossing corridors, and then turn to the left. At the end of that corridor, on the right, is the place you seek.”
“It had best be so,” said I, at last taking the dagger from his hand. A faint smear of blood lay upon the edge of the sharpened metal, therefore did I first wipe it clean upon the covering of the male before returning it to my leg bands. The male shuddered at the action, his expression showing illness, unaware of the disgust to be seen upon the faces of my warriors. Further comment was unnecessary, therefore did we continue on.
Faint recognition at last came to me when the final turn was negotiated, putting us within the corridor which led to the chamber of slaves. So vast was the dwelling that surely must I have been taken there by another route the instance previous, rendering what few memories I had of the walk worthless to the present time. Our ranks had swelled since I had paused to question the captive male, for other warriors, wandering through the corridors in search of what battle there was to be found, happily joined our search. Their hopes for further battle were dashed, however, when we entered the chamber to find it already taken. The slaves in their metal enclosures, of course, were as yet undisturbed, yet the same could not be said of those who guarded them. Some few lay sprawled upon the stones of the floor, yet by far the greater number lay bound in leather, taken by the Midanna warriors who ranged about the chamber, curiously inspecting the devices the walls and enclosures held. All whirled to face us as we entered, their swords flashing from their scabbards, then grins of welcome replaced the smiles of pending battle they had worn, and swords were put up once again.